Oil burner



M6314, v1946. G. c. PETER y 2Q400,131

OIL BURNER Filed Jan. 20, 1945 Il' l 28 f3 36 40 j: .40 0 l /l 37' ymfPatented May 14, 1946 OIL BURNER Gustave C. Peter, Wanwtosa, Wis.Application January 20, 1943, Serial No. 472,930

(Cl. 12S-93) 4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to oil burners, desirably those o1' thespace heater type utilizing a iire pot within a combustion chamber. Moreparticularly. the present improvements are concerned with a device,applicable to such burners, by which to provide an auxiliary air supplyfor support of the combustion. In the accomplishment of this end Iutilize materials and parts which are durable, inexpensive, simple, andadaptable to existing burners of various makes, sizes, etc. Wheninstalled and in use, the auxiliary supply of air furnished by thepresent device will produce a more efilcient combustion of the fuel,will assure a satisfactory operation of the burner even when the stackdraft is as low as .01 inch, water gauge, will reduce substantially thestack losses (wet and dry gases), and accomplish all this withoutaccumulation of soot and carbon in any appreciable amount due to morenearly complete combustion of the fuel.v

To attain these and other objects, as will hereinai'ter appear, I employthe device of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of aconventional space heater with certain of the walls broken away toexpose. the combustion chamber and an enclosed r'e pot with the presentdevice installed in place therewithin;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the device in its entirety,ltaken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view/ of the damperiltted to the upper end of the device; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-1 of Fig, 2. Y

As shown best in Fig. 1, a nre pot A of conventional type is disposedwithin a housing B forming a combustion chamber having a top closure 5.The pot may be equipped with the usual re ring 6 'formed with a largecentral opening 1. Through ports 8 formed in the walls of the pot air isadmitted thereinto to support combustion therewithin. A pipe connection(not shown) leads from the pot to a source of fuel supply either withinor outside of a cabinet C enclosing the combustion chamber to aiord anattractive appearance for the space heater in its entirety. It is withan oil burner ofthis general type that the present device forming myimproved auxiliary air supply may be used to advantage.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a pair of tubular sections lll and Il areslidingly intertted to provide an extensible tube D. One of thesesections. here vshown as the inner one I0, is extended through anopening I2 formed in the closure top I ot the combustion chamber, itsupper end being flanged as at i3 to provide a head against which isrested a circular plate I 4 having at its periphery a plurality of lugsI5 which are reversely bent to underlie the head whereby to secure theplate fixedly in place. This plate which is formed with a concentricarcuate slot IB furnishes a seat for a rotatable disk I1 to which it is-connected as by an axial rivet I8. From the rotatable disk is radiallyextended a lug Il forming an operating linger piece therefor, and in itsbody is a concentric arcuate-slot adapted to register with the plateslot i6 when in proper rotative position relative thereto. By means suchas this I provide a simple, inexpensive and dependable form of damper atthe top end ot the tube D, located upon the upper face of the closuretcp l, and providing, in effect, .a head which rests thereupon to afforda sustaining support for the tube which depends through the opening I2intothe combustion chamber, preferably at a point' which issubstantially axially thereof.

'Ihe tube D is Joined at its lower end to the neck 25 of a bell`E. Toaccomplish this, the interiltting faces of the lower tubular section Iland neck may be tapered slightly to promote a tight nt, and a. threadedset screw 26 be entered through the neck for adjustable bearing againstthe tube. The bell which flares out widely is formed peripherally with avertical face 21, and with a plurality of depending bosses 28 (threebeing shown), each havinga vertical bore 29 which opens out at the topupon a seat 30. A bell of this description is adapted for tting within abase F having a horizontal bottom 25 surrounded by a peripheral flange36 formed with a vertically extending circular face 31. Through the basebottom, in register with the bores 28, are openings through each otwhich is extended a pin 38 having heads at its opposite ends, oneengaging the underside of the base and the other the 'bell seat 30. Insome such way as this the bell may be joined to the, base, immovably andinseparably, with the two faces 21 and I1 spaced slightly apart evenlyand uniformly to provide an upwardly facing circular aperture throughwhich air may be discharged in the form of an annular stream. Feet 4Uare shown as depending from the base for resting upon the bottom of thepot whereby the device in its entirety may be supported in an elevatedposition relative thereto. In practice, the bell and base may each beproduced from a ferrous metal, as-by a casting operatiomand little or nofinishing is required to adapt them for combination with each other, andfor assuring an upwardly facing annular discharge opening therebetweenof a desired width which, for best results. may be about of an inch.

To install `in a conventional space heater, an opening is formed,preferably centrally, in the top of the combustion chamber permittingthe upper tubular section I to be inserted therethrough for interflttingwith the other section Il which upstands from the bell-base whenproperly positioned upon the pot bottom. The two tubular sections willadjust themselves slidingly as required by the height of the closure topof the combustion chamber. In operation,

the flames rising from the fuel under combus- Y tion will. in time, heatthe device, particularly the extensible tube through the region oppositethe bracket (shown in Fig. 1) to the point of acquiring a cherry redcolor. To support such combustion the air supply received through thepot wall ports 8 is augmented very appreciably by that which is admittedthrough the tube D and therein raised to a high temperature beforedischarge in an upwardr direction in the form of an annular stream at a`point close to the bottom of the burner pot,`centrally thereof, and tothe inside of the names rising therewithin. Inasmuch as conditions varygreatly in different installations, it is desirable to make oneindividual, and final, adjustment in each case. this being done bysetting the damper to admit air in the volume required for best results.For example, the stack draft may be anywhere from .0l inch to .02 inch,and at the damper the draft may be less than .0l inch, water gauge.Under such conditions the secondary or auxiliary supply of air madepossible by the present apparatus will produce a more completecombustion of the fuel, without any accompanying danger of soot andcarbon accumulation. In cases of higher stack draft the damperadjustment will probably be different than that suggested in Y the'above example, but in all instances, according to present experience, agreater efficiency and more satisfactory operation is attained by use ofmy apparatus which assures an ample supply of secondary air delivered ina highly heated condition centrally of the burner at a point close toits bottom and discharged straight upwardly in the form of an annularstream interiorly of the ascending flames whose remaining oxygen supplyis delivered externally and in a relatively cool state. My device,therefore, comprises at the lower tube end a diffuser from whichpreheated air issues upwardly in a volume sufficient to producesubstantially complete combustion of the fuel even under conditions ofrelatively low stack draft.

I claim:

1. In combination with an oil burner of the type in which is comprised ahousing forming a combustion chamber with a top closure, and within thechamber a re pot having walls with ports through which is admitted aprimary supply of air, means providing an auxiliary air supply tosupport combustion within the pot comprising .an extensible tubedepending from the top closure oi the combustion chamber and open to theatmosphere thereabove, a head incorporporating a damper at the uppertube end in overlying relation to the closure top whereby to support thetube therefrom, and an air diffuser spaced from the pot wall and restingupon the pot bottom and joined to the lower end of the tube, thediffuser including a circular base with side walls and spaced from theside walls of the pot and a bell immovably united to the base hav ing aperipheral face confronting in closely spaced relation the peripheralface of the base walls whereby to denne with said base an upwardlyfacing annular aperture through which air may be discharged in anannular column centrally and vertically at the base.

2. In combination with an oil burner of the type in which is comprised ahousing forming a combustion chamber with a top closure, and within thechamber a fire pot having walls with ports through which is admitted aprimary supply of air, means providing an auxiliary air supply tosupport combustion within the pot comprising a tube depending from thetop closure of the combustion chamber and open to thc atmospherethereabove, a head at the upper tube end in overlying relation to theclosure top whereby to support the tube therefrom, and an air diffuser'spaced from the pot wall and resting upon the pot bottom and joined tothe lower end of the tube, the diffuser including a base with side wallsand a bell immovably united to the base having a peripheral faceconfronting in closely spaced relation the peripheral face of the basewalls and spaced from the side walls of the pot whereby to define withsaid base an upwardly facing annular aperture through which air may bedischarged in an annular column centrally and vertically at the base.

3. In combination with an oil burner of the type in which is comprised ahousing forming a combustion chamber with a top closure, and within thechamber a fire pot having walls with ports through which is admitted aprimary supply of air, means providing an auxiliary air supply tosupport combustion within the pot comprising a tube depending fromthetop closure of the combustion chamber and open to the atmospherethereabove, a head at the upper tube end in overlying relation to theclosure top whereby to support the tube therefrom, and an air diffuserspaced from the pot wall and resting upon the pot bottom and joined tothe lower end of the tube, the diffuser including a base, feet.depending from the base to rest upon the pot bottom whereby to supportthe base in an elevated lposition thereupon, walls extending upwardlyfrom the base defining therewith a space open only at the top, a bellsurmounting the base having peripheral walls in closely spaced relationto the walls of the base and spaced from the side walls of the pot andproviding witfh said base a closure and defining therewith a narrow,continuously extending, upwardly facing, annular aperture through whichair may be discharged in an annular column centrally and vertically atthe base, and means uniting the bell immovably to the base.

4. In combination with an oil burner of the type in which is comipriseda housing forming a combustion chamber witih a top closure, and withinthe chamber a fire pot having walls with ports through which is admitteda primary supply of air, means providing an auxiliary air supply tosupport combustion within the pot com- [pricing a tube depending fromthe top closure of the combustion chamber and open to the atmospherethereabove, and an air diffuser spaced from tihe pot wall and restingupon the pot bottom and' Joined t0 the lower end of the tube, the

diffuser including a base with means depending therefrom for engagementwith the pot bottom to support the base in elevated position thereupon,a bell sunnountng the base and provided with means depending therefromfor engagement and connection with the base to support the lbell iixedlyin elevated position thereupon,

and enacting walls on the base and bell spaced from the side walls of.the' pot and dening between them an upwardly facing annular aperturethrough which air may be discharged in an an- 5 nular column centrallyand vertically at the base.

f GUSTAVE c. PETER.

